Robot 6

Comics A.M. | Dark Horse turns to Random House for bookstores

Publishing | This may seem a little inside-baseball, but it’s actually pretty significant: Dark Horse will switch from Diamond Book Distributors to Random House for book-market distribution, effective June 1, 2014. The publisher is sticking with Diamond for comics, but a lot of its line has appeal outside the direct market — the Avatar graphic novels, the Zelda guide — and Dark Horse wants to expand its presence in bookstores. This also makes for an interesting consolidation of manga distribution, as Random House also distributes Kodansha Comics (with which it has a strong business relationship) and Vertical books. [ICv2]

Comics | Superheroes may rule on television and in film, but comics continue to be a niche medium. The Associated Press reporter Melissa Rayworth talks to a comic-shop owner whose customers skulk in on the down low, an opera singer whose friends are surprised she reads comics, and Comics Alliance writer Chris Sims, who does a good job of putting things in perspective. [ABC]

We Can Be Heroes

Publishing | Writer Geoff Johns and Arrow producers Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg talk about DC Entertainment’s We Can Be Heroes drive to raise money to fight hunger in the Horn of Africa. The campaign is currently taking the form of an IndieGoGo campaign with a new set of special premiums for comics fans each week. [TV Guide]

Collecting | Here’s a very different account of a comics collector’s experience: Personal finance blogger JD Roth discusses how he sold his comics collection with the help of his ex-wife. Although he estimated the value of his collection at $75,000, he ended up getting $26,500 by selling off chunks of it in different ways, including to an online dealer and to random strangers at a garage sale. [Get Rich Slowly]

Creators | Donny Cates, who co-writes the new series Buzzkill with Toadies drummer Mark Reznicek, talks about the story and his superhero, who gets his powers from alcohol: “We were very careful to not use alcohol as something that looked cool or sexy, it’s not Popeye’s can of spinach, you know? It’s something he kind of hates, but it’s also something that makes him powerful … in that sense it’s much more of a dependence than a enhancement, it’s a drug. He’s an addict. Things don’t go very well.” [Comics Alliance]

Creators | Rhymes With Orange creator Hilary Price definitely believes in perspiration over inspiration as the road to comics success: “The real secret is sitting down and making yourself do it. Doing this seven days a week is a muscle you build up. Some weeks are easier than others. What changes is the confidence that you will be able to do it.” [Daily Hampshire Gazette]

Creators | Katie Green discusses her first graphic novel, a memoir of her experiences with anorexia that goes deep into her underlying problems and the effect it had on her family. [The Guardian]